A Lesser Being
by whoshallJudgeAngels
Summary: Rainbow is struggling with two things: feelings for Conor and finding her identity, the latter much more frightening... and immediate. When she finds that her power and concerns are strongly rooted in Earth, a new future opens up for her. And when Conor returns, she faces yet another decision: what to tell him.
1. I Promise You That: prologue

**Why do I **_**do **_**these things? WHY?! [looks around nervously] *ahem*  
So this little story is [obviously] about Rainbow... why I decided to write it? Simple. She needs more awesomeness. And, in one of my previous Ingo fics, **_**I Wish She'd Never Known Him**_**, Rainbow is breifly mentioned in chapter 1 (and 4), as having been seen talking to a snake. 0.0  
DISCLAIMER: **_**Ingo**_** = (hopefully) real + awesome + Helen Dunmore's + NOT mine**

**[dialogue taken from"The Crossing of Ingo", ppg. 78-81]**

"Rainbow", says Conor.

"Yes?", I ask tightly. Why don't they trust me? It was obviously a lie, all that about going to Plymouth to take care of family... I thought better of them than that, especially Conor.

"Rainbow, I'm sorry. That wasn't true, what we said", he continues, looking shamefaced. "I know." That's obvious, isn't it?

"Saph and I do have to go somewhere. But we can't tell you any more than that. We can't tell anyone. If our schools think we're with family, there won't be any trouble."

I'm still hurt. "You didn't have to lie to me", I say, not caring if it's cruel.

Sapphy looks shamefaced, and Conor flushes, frowning as if he's angry. "I was stupid", he says quietly. I realize I'm frowning, too. "Yes, you were." He doesn't normally act so... _untruthful_ like that. I find myself wondering if he's ever lied to me before... but what could have made him behave so out of character?

There's obviously something rather undercover about where he and Sapphire are going... maybe... I gasp with sudden insight. "Is it to do with your father?", I ask tentatively. I see Conor hesitate before replying carefully: "In a way it is."

With sudden inspiration, I continue following what's going on. "You're going where he is, aren't you?" Perhaps they've been right all along, and their father isn't dead.

"Yes", says Conor, looking rather relieved, "But we can't tell anyone else. It's vital. People could get hurt." All of a sudden, I become worried. "Is it dangerous, then?"

"It could be. But Saph and I haven't got any choice."

Sapphire suddenly breaks in. "Granny Carne knows", she says enthusiastically. I think I'm beginning to understand... "She knows where your father is?", I ask, getting the impression that my brain is atrophying. _Of course that's what she meant, you dummy_...

"Yes."

"And she hasn't tried to stop you?" It would be quite strange that she hadn't at least _warned _them if it was so dangerous... grownups are usually don't act like that. But underneath my conscious thinking, I get the impression that Granny Carne is no regular old lady... I realize that Sapphy has assumed a faraway expression on her face, as if she's remembering something... or thinking about something that might come.

Watching her closely, I see her eyes shift, and she looks at me. Conor, however, is the one who replies: "Granny Carne hasn't tried to stop us", and then he continues, "She's the only one who knows where we're going, though. You won't tell anyone else, will you, Rainbow? Not even Patrick?"

So they trust me now. "Not if you don't want me to."

I unhitch Treacle's reins from the doorpost and lead him away from their wall. As I mount his back, I'm thinking about where they possibly could be going. Now I'm worried too... Conor said that it might be dangerous...

"That animal's more like an armchair than a horse", he says, obviously trying to crack a joke. I don't laugh, however. Instead, I ask something that just came into my mind without warning; something I'm afraid of. "You said it might be dangerous", I confirm.

"Yes", Conor nods. I clear my throat, stuttering a bit. "You will- you will come back, won't you?" I look down at him worriedly. He's serious to, as he runs a hand down Treacle's neck and then gazes up at me.

"I'll come back", he says, "I promise you that."

**This was short, and I just basically took the dialogue from Helen Dunmore, as I credited at the beginning, but I thought it would make an interesting prologue to my story, as it is quite relevant. It feel rather strange getting into Rainbow's character after doing Sapphy, Faro, and Conor for so long. Even Saldowr and a dolphin!  
PLEASE review! 8)  
~ xoxo whoshallJudgeAngles**


	2. Conor Trewhella

**Eek! So excited! Thanks to all you awesome reviewers! Hope you enjoy...  
DISCLAIMER: **_**Sapphy**_**: How big is Ingo, anyways? **_**Faro**_**: You must talk to Saldowr; Ingo is as it is. Anyways, it's too big for me to own.**

Rainbow's POV~

They've been gone four days now. Conor and Sapphy, I mean. I know when they left because Sunday, they were home; come Monday, the day saw them gone. Wherever they are, whatever they have to do, I wish them Godspeed.

Sometimes, when I think about Conor, my feelings get confused, as if someone grabbed my heart and shook it like a can of soda about to explode in your face. There are moments when both his eyes and his words to me seem cloaked in mystery; purposely ambiguous, as if he doesn't want me to know what's going on inside of him. And other moments that his smile comes around like the sun breaking through clouds. Those moments are the ones that I see the most common side he dares to show: funny, enthusiastic, observant; at the same time, I realize that there's another side to him that he holds back... most of the time.

I try to concentrate on my logic abbreviations... ~(P v Q) and (~R v ~Q) v A _is false when_... but so many thoughts are buzzing in my head that the truth tables and tildes dance and dive all over the page. _No luck_, I think bitterly, cursing under my breath.

Outside, rain pours down, matching my cloudy mood. The sea is choppy today; white spray crashes against the rocks and the angry grey waves ebb and flow quickly. I almost think that I hear the swash and backwash on the shore, even though I'm up at the cottage, and all the windows are closed.

The sound of the sea makes me shiver.

To distract myself, I sketch a small picture in the corner of my textbook: a head, it seems. That's the thing with my drawings... I never plan, just let my pencil be free. The head takes on a definitive profile: pronounced chin, snub nose, dark furry eyebrows; topped by a mop of hair that brings itself down over the forehead. It's a good sketch, but instead of admiring my work, I frown and rub it out with the eraser tip.

Why was the likeness I drew Conor's?  
_

Next Sunday, I find myself exercising Treacle for the umpteenth time that week. I chuckle to myself as I remember what Sapphy said... _and he gallops excatly like his name..._ and reluctantly admit it's true. Last time I rode at Tregony, my mount was a Thoroughbred mare who had a reputation for running away with her riders. She was rather hard to control, but at least she enjoyed going fast. I smile and shake my head. _Lazy, lazy little horse..._

The day is bright today, not very cold, even though the trees seem as if they are already beginning to feel winter's chill. I think of autumn as an in-between season, a preparation for all living things to go into hibernation... but to me it's the most beautiful season of all. Fast-moving rain clouds skirt the top of the Downs more than often, the squirrels scamper about their business, red tails tickling the air; the winds begin to grow chill, and the leaves burst into flaming colors, turning their pale backs up to the sky. You can smell the rich, moist scent of earth sharper than ever, it seems; rarely does it mingle with the salty sea smells that you inevitably get on the coast. Dry grasses crunch under your feet, and the large, mossy-backed stones that dot the moors offer an ground-linked place for the weary-footed traveler.

My reverie is broken by Treacle, who sidesteps and snorts nervously. I snap to and look down, steadying the pony and trying to calm him a bit. "Easy, boy..." It seems that a curious adder, taking advantage of the day's unusual warmth, has come out to cross Treacle's path. Obviously not meaning to bother us, it continues sunning itself in the dusty grass. We could go around it... Treacle, however, refuses to budge. With a sigh, I dismount and grab Treacle's reins firmly, gently urging him fowards with whispers, keeping between him and the snake so as to lessen his terror. We're making some progress when suddenly, a dry, ancient voice enters my mind.

_You were right to worry, my child._

Huh? Who said that? I look around, back, and to my left, where the snake still lies. I notice that it's twisted round to look at me... _that's crazy. Snakes don't just stare at you for no reason..._ becoming cautious, I give somewhat a wider berth to the adder, and Treacle gladly oblioges.

_I meant about Conor Trewhella and his sister. You're concerns were not misplaced..._

I spin around, seriously frightened. The snake has now slithered towards us, and stops about half a meter away, not coiled to spring, but relaxed.

_Did this just _talk_ to me?_

_Yes, I did. Hmph. Fancy you thinking otherwise._

I stumble back involuntarily. _Nadron... huh?... child of Earth, heed my warning..._

_What do you mean? _I am seriously freaking out now.

_Do not be afraid of me. We are kin. But as I was saying, they are in grave danger. _

I decide that I must get over my shock, as I am most likely only dreaming; I fell asleep while riding Treacle... _I hope I don't fall off... _

_You mean Conor and Sapphy? But-_

_They are under threat now. No. Don't look like that. There is nothing you can do... I only saw fit to warn you._

_But... they're _alive..._ right?_

_Of course. Nadron, like the bees, must be told about births and deaths._

My head is spinning now... _births... deaths... Conor... Nadron... death... _

_Earth is never dead..._

**[gnaws fingernail nervously] How is it? PLEASE... PLEASE... TELL ME! sorry, sorry. But really, please review!  
~ xoxo whoshallJudgeAngels**


	3. Talking to Nadron

**Hoop-la! The next chapter is here! [trumpet fanfare] haha Thanks to all you reviewers! It is for you that I am writing this! And of course, to give Rainbow more awesomeness XD.  
You know, it's really strange, but I already have the last chapter written. Just that one, though. None of the in-betweens... I do that sometimes, just to see how things turn out. Hm.  
DISCLAIMER: **_**Ingo**_** and everything in it is not mine... or in Norvys, for that matter.**

Granny Carne's POV~

_So the child has spoken to nadron... interesting. She had it in her all along. But why my lady there told her what she did? Ah... I suppose she wished to let her know; though it will be no small comfort to Rainbow..._

_ But what power will she now discover within herself? And will she understand what it means?_

Rainbow's POV~

I groan and flop back onto my bed. "This crap makes no sense," I grumble to myself. It was a psychosomatic shock: my brain was in chaos and my hands were shaking. Taking a profound breath, I attempt to calm myself. _It can't kbe! Animals don't talk... at least not in plain English_. _I must have imagined that snake talking to me..._

_ Don't go calling her "snake", child of Earth. She has her proper name just as you do..._

_ Nadron... fire... child of Earth... danger..._

Nadron.

But what are the chances that I _wasn't_ dreaming? First of all, I have never fallen asleep on horseback. Secondly, it has been more than two hours since the incident. So, of course, the only options left are that I was either hallucinating, or it was real. _And how would Nadron know what was happening to Conor and Sapphire?_

_ Of course. Nadron, like the bees, must be told about births and deaths._

_ But how?_

Of course, there is no one to answer my questions, and they remain in my head, congesting my reasoning until I feel as if I don't even know which way is up any more. My frantic thoughts are interrupted by Patrick, who sticks his head in my room and asks me a question that I don't quite hear. I sit up, blood throbbing in my ears, and look askance at my stepbrother, who merely stares at me as if I'm insane. _He's not too far off..._ "What?", I question him. Pat rolls his eyes and repeats his question, speaking slowly and distinctly: "Where. Were. You. For. The. Past. Three. Hours?"

"Oh! Uh... I was just exercising Treacle."

"Kylie Newton's horse? Can't she ever do that herself?"

"Apparently not."

Patrick snorts and walks off towards the kitchen. I hear him rummaging in the cabinets, probably looking for peanut butter. I envy him. My mind is aching for the simplicity of something like opening a jar. Of course, I wouldn't really be able to enjoy it at the moment...

As I start thinking again, I realize what I have to do. It doesn't matter what I am or what nadron is, the pertinent fact is that _we can communicate_. _Which is exactly what was freaking me out in the first place..._ And if I really want to find out whether or not I am utterly insane, the only way is to try again.  
_

Carefully, very carefully, I approach the adder. It's relaxed, but I am still very afraid. "Um... excuse me?", I whisper. The snake hears me.

_Nadron has heard your voice._

It glares at me with venom eyes.

**EEEKK! I know this was uber short... I promise a longer chapter next time! Please review.  
~ xoxo whoshallJudgeAngels**


	4. I Belong to Norvys

**Syncronizing Ingo and Air time: not an easy task. However, I will attempt to do so. Right now, Sapphy, Conor, Faro and Elvira are having their "argument" about going North. FARO: "It will be an even greater adventure..." [deliriously excited] XD [Elvira grumping]  
DISCLAIMER: **_**Ingo**_** = awesome (5000) + Helen Dunmore's + NOT mine****3**

Rainbow's POV~

I gasp and stumble back, my heart thumping into my throat. _Child of Earth... you disturb me. There is something foreign inside of you... and dangerous... For this you must pay..._

From nowhere, a sudden power, a certainty, comes into me like a great flood. _I am your kin... for what should I pay? My nature? Do you pay for yours and your childrens'?... there is nothing more to say. You have no reason to doubt me._ This freaks me as much as the adder.

I swear, if snakes had eyebrows to raise, this child of nadron would've. It moves back a bit, cocking it's head. But the voice that enters my mind again is still full of poison. _You really believe so? How can we be kin if the sea is so strong in you_, it hisses, mocking me.

_The sea? I fear the sea... Earth is my home... I am not of Moryow... I fear the sea..._ I do not even believe that thoughts are coming from my mind anymore. They must be coming from somewhere deep inside of me, a place that has always been hidden... until now.

The adder relaxes a bit. _Well... you are not of Moryow... in particular. But there is one with Mer blood strong enough inside you..._

_ Who?_

_ I... I do not know... but it frightens me._

_ Why should it?_ I am more annoyed than frightened now. _If it is not even me, then why should it?_

_ A love for Moryow might grow too strong inside of you, through love for this person. It may change your nature towards us who-_

_ Well, that can hardly happen in two minutes_, I snap. _Can it?_

The adder merely eyes me coldly. _Beware, child of Earth and humans. Beware._ Turning, it slithers calmly through the grass before I can even think of what to say next.

I stand there, unmoving as stone, for a very long time.  
_

_Child of Earth, heed my words. In you is a power, a new ability to communicate with the children of the forest, the moors; nadron tell you these things as the guardians of Norvys. How power is used is up to the person possessing it. Do not let Moryow into your heart - it is not in your blood - and you will live. You turn upon us, and you die. _

_ Shall we be so to one of our own kin? _

_ It is the truth..._

_ People could get hurt... Is it dangerous, then?_

_ I'll come back, I promise you that..._

_ STAY AWAY!_

I gasp and sit bolt upright out of my sleep, flinging off my duvet. My sweat-drenched pajamas cling to my skin in a most uncomfortble way. Realizing it was just a dream, I flop back and prop the back of my head between my hands, heart thumping violently.

_I promise you that..._  
_

Mum scans my paper closely; I know that as she reads, she's paying attention to every detail she can possibly think of: historical accuracy, colloquation, grammar... At last she looks up.

"This is fine, Rainbow. I like how you put all those quotes in, only next time, keep it impartial. People who read historical articles want fact, not opinion," Mum says, smiling gently. I nod... _I have plenty of other opinions that you probably won't want to hear..._ buthey, that's Lenin, right?

Quietly, without looking at my mother, I begin my next assignment. I'm sitting at the kitchen table, relieved that Mum and Patrick's dad got back safe last evening, but the a violent storm still raging in my mind. Mum looks at me worriedly, the smile vanishing. "Are you okay, sweetie?" she asks, looking at me in a way not unlike how a biologist would look at a bug under a microscope. I nod again, beginning to feel like a broken record (without sound). Mum, however, shuffles over and puts a cool, smooth hand on my forehead. Her eyebrows knit together and she bites her lower lip in a characteristic expression of thought. I sigh, a bit tiredly, and reassure my mother that I am _not sick_. Of course, I can't tell her what really happened.

I myself am still unsure of what happened.  
_

Hands stuffed into my raincoat pockets, I walk along the muddy track, shoulders hunched against the diluve. After I finished school, I decided to forgo Mum's warnings about the weather (and my "sickness") and take a walk up along the moor. Of course, I had to get caught by a downpour. Or I could've listened to Mum. Now that I'm out here, though, I don't really feel like going back. In fact, I could charge up the hill and dance around all night and day.

I feel as if something is calling me outside.

Strangely enough, my semi-logical mind cannot focus on what's going on; I cannot reason. I feel as if I don't even _want_ to figure anything out. My attentions instead choose to wander towards Granny Carne's place, half-buried under the hill. I don't know why, but I get a sudden urge to go there, not really to visit her, but for some reason I am being called up over the moor, summoned by an omnipresent source I know nothing about.  
_

_ Fire ahead of me, misty drizzle behind me. The Earth will open to let me into itself; I can return to my mother... why should I forget who I am, where I came from?_

_ No._

_ I came from Norvys._

**I guess I'll be leaving it there for now; this was really more of a filler chapter, but I hope ya'll enjoy! And review *hinthint*  
xoxo whoshallJudgeAngels**


	5. Motherheart

**Update! Update! Update! Here's the next chapter.  
Thanks to all for reviewing!  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the following: **_**Ingo, Ingo, **_**or **_**Ingo.**_** Or Rainbow's awesomeness.**

Rainbow's POV~

_Fire ahead of me, misty drizzle behind me. The Earth will open to let me into itself; I can return to my mother... why should I forget who I am, where I came from?_

_ No._

_ I came from Norvys.  
__

_It's pulling, pulling. I feel the alignment of Sun and Earth shifting, moving to a new position that will allow a soul to open. Minutes tick within me._

_ Don't go... stay where you belong-_

_ No, child. Return to your Mother..._

_ Where _do_ I belong?_

_ In the Earth... In the Earth..._

_ The heart of Norvys calls to you._

_ It's pulling, pulling... Calling so... so loud..._

_ I can hardly hear it._

_ Pulling so hard... I can't... feel..._

_ My fingers: numb- Blistering!_

_ The heat... the heat is..._

_ Consuming me... I'm so scared.  
__

_ There is room only for the drumming of my heart as it becomes one with the Earth's inner workings; secret things that support life._

_ Shall I perish in flame- or be born again?_

_ I will be in the soul of one who gave me life..._

_ Norvys... Norvys..._

_ I'm... so... close..._

_ If only I reach out._

_ Norvys... Norvys... norvys..._

**Please review! Yes, I know this was a shorty (times 2000 :S), but it's kind of setting up the next chapter... and I wanted to leave all you awesome readers/reviewers hanging on the cliff... sooo...  
xoxo whoshallJudgeAngels**


	6. Never Knowing

**Here is the next part of my story... I hope you guys like it. I'm especially nervous about this one... Thanks to all who have reviewed! I love you forever! 3  
DISCLAIMER: It is anatomically impossible that I could ever own **_**Ingo**_** (or Norvys)/I behold the shadow of my own disgrace.**

Rainbow's POV~

_I feel my soul fusing with one so much more powerful than I... but just as alive. She's real... Norvys is alive... and I am a part of her... Time runs away._

_ Before my thoughts are absorbed in flame, I feel a calling, a longing to step back the way I came. I remember something. Travellers cannot return to a place finding that the ones they promised to return to are gone... whether or not they are returning _for_ them..._

_ I promise you that... I promise..._

_ I am breaking my own silent promise even as I think. But you belong here, Norvys says. Where is here, exactly, I say... and then, Of course this is where I should be. Where I should perish as well as live. Where I most certainly will perish._

_ Promise... I'll come back... I promise you that..._

_ The heat doesn't even trouble me anymore... but my heart does. Anyone can just disappear- in any manner of ways._

_ Mum, I can't come home for supper. I am already melting, fusing, winding down to... a... slower... pace... I am almost gone._

I feel a jolt as I am propelled through time and space at high speeds. Maybe this velocity should break my neck... unless I am already dead.

_Weeell... not _quite_ gone..._

Despair courses through me as I realize I am being torn from Norvys, my origin that nearly claimed me forever. _I was so close..._

I feel as if awakened, then, and find myself lying in the damp grass, staring into a bleak grey sky. _Rain... sweet, cold water..._ fire and water seem so... _opposite_ that you wouldn't think they are really the same thing. But they are. I feel... _crisp_; after a close, practical examination of myself, I see that for all my sensitivity, I am not burned. _I was so... so very close..._ Norvys was nearly all I would know, forever. Despite everything, I feel a strange horror at what closely befell me. A few more stalling moments and I would have no longer existed.

But now, I am safe on the dreary moorland, feeling somewhat like a naughty child returned securely to it's mother's arms. _Norvys is my mother..._ I am still in Norvys, still a part of earth.

Shivering, I pull my slicker about myself and strike off back home. My thoughts inevitably wander back to what just happened.

_No, Rainbow. No. Don't think of such things. It was just a dream... all a dream._

Above me, though it's daylight still, an owl swoops low on wind-ruffled wings.

_It was only a dream._

Then why did I never wake up?  
_

Next day, I creep about my life in a sort of dreary, plodding state. Everything seems so... ordinary. Useless. Meaningless. But it's safe. I won't feel a longing to be outside, wandering over the land, becoming part of the land...

_No._

For now, nothing else will happen. I cannot let love for Norvys grow too strong in my heart, for it has the power to burn me down... if not literally, some other way. I now understand what the malicious adder was talking about, but in a different context. _There is still so much I don't know._

_Norvys will teach you, my child._

_ No._

I had better finish up here. No one likes to be kept waiting.  
_

The adder wraps herself around my wrist, gazing at me with a friendly expression... well, as friendly as nadron can possibly look. She's still a predator, venonous enough to kill me, but I know she won't harm me. This time. I should still be careful...

_You have much to tell me, sister?_, the adder's wise, gravelly voice enters my mind. I smile despite myself.

_No, not really. I just want you to tell me if I'm crazy or not._

_ Why would you be?_

_ Oh... well, never mind, really..._ the adder, however, senses what I'm thinking and makes a noise that sounds something like an annoyed sigh.

_You are very human in your ways of thinking... but what else would you be? We nadron are not lesser than the human race, and we were here a bit before you as well. We hold secrets that you could not even imagine. We are the guardians of Norvys._

_ Oh... okay. I'm sorry, then, it's just that we - people - have myths about animals talking. Myths and nothing more. But, what about the bees? Why must they be told about births and deaths? And can I talk to them, too?_

_ Well, bees aren't quite as important as us _- here I nearly laugh; this daughter of nadron is a bit arrogant - _being rather stupid and thickheaded, but they do have a stronger connection to other forms of Earth's life than most creatures do. And of course you can communicate with them; they will listen to you as long as you are a friend. But not many humans can get an answer from the bees. As a matter of fact, I know only one who can... Why do you ask?_

_ Just wondering. And what about me? I mean, do I belong to Norvys, or to Air with the other humans? I know that I am not of Moryow, I can't be, but do I have a choice there? Can I be of both?_

_ Only your soul can truly answer that, but I may tell you that as long as you _are _human (which you always will be), you will have to share, and you cannot enter the heart of Norvys_ - here I give a mental gasp - _without perishing._

We are silent for a while. I'm not scientifically mulling over everything now as I was before. I'll just accept this as a fact of life. Anyhow, most things turn out to be facts one way or another.  
_

The bee circles lazily, upset that the autumn flowers have at last faded, but coaxed out into the sunny weather anyways. I approach it cautiously, even though I know it won't want to sting me, since it would be death to it. It settles on a gorse plant to rest. Happiness radiates from it's tiny, fat body; I can sense it. Crouching down so were more or less at eye level, I realize that it knows I'm there, and that I want to talk to it.

"I don't expect an answer from you, my friend," I whisper gently. I think... I think that the bee is listening. I take a deep breath and ask my question.

Silence.

I guess I _am_ expecting an answer... but it doesn't come.

Then, just when I am about to give up and walk away, a buzzing voice enters my mind.

Sinking to the ground, I feel an overwhelming rush of emotion. I offer my laughter up to the vast, clear sky.

**Please review! Honestly...  
xoxo whoshallJudgeAngels**


	7. Chapter 7

**Tut tut! you naughty little girl! Why do you keep people waiting so much? [wallops pate] XD  
So anyways, I hope you like this chapter... there's only two more after this [grins at prospect of awesome Conbow fangirling] No... no, Melissa! I will **_**NOT**_** allow you to go off on a tangent. :P :P :P  
And of course, I might do an epilogue if it's very necessary.  
Now is about the Ingo time that Sapphire is going ashore to see her Mum in Australia...  
DISCLAIMER: Sapphire: "How big is Ingo anyways?" Faro: "Ingo is as it is. You must talk to Saldowr." 8)... anyways, it's to big for me to own.**

Rainbow's POV~

_Well... you are not of Moryow... in particular. But there is one with Mer blood strong enough inside you..._

_ Who?_

_ I... I do not know... but it frightens me._

What could he have meant by "Mer?" It seems as if the Mer (whatever... _who_ever they are) are those who are in Moryow, all the seas of the world. Thinking of the _Little Mermaid_ statue at Copenhagen, I have a fleeting impression that the Mer might be _mer_maids, but the existence of sirens and stuff doesn't really have scientific evidence behind it or anything, so it isn't likely... then again, there isn't any scientific evidence of animals talking and adders being the guardians of Norvys. But it still seems rather unlikely, though I can't really summon to mind any sea creature that might have a double identity.

It _does _seem, though, that whomever the Mer are, their blood can be mixed with humans'. This idea seems a bit like mythology, where there were regular people who had the blood of gods and satyrs and things mixed up inside them... even animals. So by what that adder was saying, I know someone who's part Mer, part human. Tearing a grass stem out of the dirt, I chomp down on it, wondering who it could possibly be. Perhaps... perhaps it might be Sapphire... I mean, she has such a strong connection to the sea... my mind wanders back that one night so long ago, before the flood came. The day that the dolphin was beached, and I fled in fright of the rising tide.

_But _you_ love the sea, don't you, Sapphire? You love it more than you love the land._

I bring back the rest of the adder's words: _A love for Moryow might grow too strong inside of you, through love for this person_. That doesn't really sound right, though. I mean, Sapphy is my dearest friend, and I love her as I would a sister, but that particular choice of words sounds like something... _else_... Oh, I don't know.

It does occur to me, however, that Conor might also have this ambiguous Mer blood, if Sapphire does. I mean, they're brother and sister. As I think about Conor, I feel my face get unusually warm, though he is probably far, far away by now...

I also wonder if it's the ocean Sapphire and Conor have gone to; not merely the seashore, but under the waves, in an aquamarine world devoid of Air.I can't help wondering if they'll never return.

_I promise you that... _Leaning back, I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

Conor promised. Everything's going to be just fine.  
_

Later that day, I find myself chopping up some onions for tomato sauce. Mum's already boiling the spaghetti for supper. Looking over at her as she puts rosemary into the meatball stuff, I see that she looks slightly distant, and decide that now would be a good time to slip outside for a few minutes before dinner. Absentmindedly, I dump the onions into the sauce, along with some garlic and green pepper, and clean my hands off on the dishcloth.

At that instant, Mum looks me. I preoccupy myself with getting very interested in the boiling spaghetti. Mum, being what she is, does not get distracted. "Rainbow?" she asks.

"Hmm?" I turn to face her.

"Have you seen that nice girl - er, what's her name? Amethyst?"

"You mean _Sapphire_? Sapphire Trewhella?"

"Yes! Sapphire," Mum nods enthusiastically.

"Um, no, actually she and her brother went to... to visit family in Plymouth so... no, I haven't seen her. Why'd you ask?" I tell my mother, mentally kicking myself for using the same lie that Sapphy and Conor told me.

"Oh. I was just wondering about them. Sapphire is such an interesting girl... What's her brother's name again?"

"Conor."

"Mm... I see," Mum turns back to the meatballs with a tiny bemused smile on her face. I realize that my own has gone red at the mere mention of Conor's name. I blink at the ceiling for a breif instant before awkwardly shuffling over to the sink to wash my hands. Mum looks at me sideways for a minute, then turns to face me once again, more serious this time.

"I want you to tell me, though. I think that you've been acting - well, _strange_ lately... and... Oh, I don't know, Rainbow. I'm just... worried, I suppose," Mum heaves a sigh and looks down. I begin to feel slightly nauseated, what with the hunger-inducing smell of the tomato sauce and being indoors... I shake away my weakness.

"It's okay, Mum. I'm fine. Really..."

"If you say so... but you know, you can tell me anything, alright?"

"Of course, Mum."

And then she reaches out for a hug that I gladly give her, squeezing us both together. _I don't want to go away from you, Mum. I would miss you too much..._ I heave a sigh of my own as a peculiar wave of sadness washes over me. If only she knew how much I can't tell her. And if I did, she might not even believe me.

**Well, I guess that's it for now. Sorry it was so short, but since I've not updated in so long I kind of have to rethink the story, and keep you guys busy at the same time hahaha. And of course I would like some feedback on Rainbow's Mer theories... TRANSLATOR: That means "please review!"**  
**~xoxo whoshallJudgeAngels**


	8. The Gift of Nadron

**Here's the next chapter... thanks to all superbly sublime reviewers!  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own **_**Ingo**_**.**

Rainbow's POV~

In my dream, there is no frightening conclave of adders, waiting to find fault with my connection to Norvys and hurt me. There is no swirling fire, enveloping me and taking me through its secret passageways to my death. There is no doubt this time, only the pure elation that comes with the wind sweeping over the open moorland. Only the feel of dew-saturated tendrils of grass curling around my bare toes. Only the rather welcoming sight of an uninterested adder sunning itself on a mossy rock.

Only the feel of a hoary standing stone, rough under my fingers; a gateway, left alone through the ages, serving as both blessing and curse to those who seek the secrets it so jealously guards.

An owl circles above me, the firm feel of Earth is beneath me. The sound of the sea is far, far away.

Far away, where it should be; where it should stay. Norvys is powerful, and she will defend herself when the time comes. A groan from the bowels of the Earth's deepest forge, as if a giant bull was down there, hammering his vengeance on a smoldering chunk of iron, shakes me from the inside out.

I have been born with a sort of gift - one hundred and ten percent human, deeply rooted in Norvys.

The hill I am climbing flattens out, and in the distance, I can see an old woman, standing strong and tall, an adder wrapped around her wrist. Nadron's gift. Norvys's gift.

Turning the other way, back towards the ocean, back towards Moryow, I see two figures walking towards me. Somehow, I know who they are, and I know that I will see them soon. And perhaps there will be some sunshine left over from the previous day, all wrapped up in two strong, brown hands, just for me.

For now, however, I have nowhere to go, nowhere to long for. Right where I am, with Earth around me, everywhere, I am safely at home. There is nothing to search for, nothing to be frightened of. It is how Norvys has said it should be. It is written in blood and grit. It is as the Guardians of Norvys themselves.

Nadron.

Children of Earth.

**Well, that's it for now! Yeah, yeah. I know its short... hope you enjoyed it! Please review.  
~ xoxo whoshallJudgeAngels**


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